ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


922 /  C&RL News ■ October 2001

THE W AY I SEE IT

The future of information literacy
Transforming the world

by Dane Ward

T e n  years from now, information literacy 
will be obsolete— or at least o ur current 

conception of it. O f course, ho w  our theory 
and practice evolve during this interval will 
d e p e n d  on our actions a n d  inactions. I can­
not predict the future but know  with certainty 
that the future of inform ation literacy and 
librarianship rests in our hands. If w e w ant 
to have lasting impact on  the lives of o ur 
students, w e must teach information research 
skills in a w ay that engages them  with prob­
lems of the real world. We are being called.

Fifteen years ago, I w orked as a Peace 
Corps volunteer in Senegal, West Africa, help­
ing to im prove English instruction in rural 
schools. Like m uch of Africa, Senegal is a land 
of limited resources and opportunities, though 
populated by people with concerns very simi­
lar to yours and mine. The difference is that 
in Africa, millions of p eople are dying b e ­
cause of insufficient food, jobs, inadequate 
health care, intergroup conflict— and infor­
m ation about how  to m ove tow ard solutions.

As I see it, o u r g re a te st c h a lle n g e  is 
w hether, as a profession, w e will resp o n d  to 
the desperate n e e d  for our information lit­
eracy expertise. Not only are w e being called 
in Africa, b u t also by our fellow Americans, 
and perhaps m ost identifiably, by our stu­
dents. Will w e step out of our comfort zone 
w ithin academ ia to engage a n d  m eet the

w orld w here its problem s really exist? For in­
stance, our involvem ent w ith com m unity in­
form ation literacy projects w ould seem  a step 
in the right direction, if by this, w e intend to 
bridge the gap betw een classroom discussions 
and practice, and real life. I believe that one 
of our great tasks as teachers involves bring­
ing our students into relationship with the 
world.

Information literacy is currently understood 
as em bracing the ability to define a problem , 
find information to solve the problem , evalu­
ate the information, and use it effectively. In 
theory, these broad com petencies encompass 
the entire research process and, ideally, should 
be integrated across the curriculum. In prac­
tice, how ever, m ost librarians continue to 
teach one-shot sessions on  locating informa­
tion, and rarely find the time or opportunity 
to develop applications of the theory. In part, 
our difficulty in gaining rapid and w idespread 
acceptance of information literacy results from 
our attempt to fit this revolutionary idea within 
a traditional teaching paradigm, which dimin­
ishes it.

F o c u s in g  o n  s tu d e n t c o n ce rn s
An information literacy that focuses o n  teach­
ing students to conduct research lays a foun­
dation on w hich to build an edifice for m ore 
pow erful learning. However, the walls of this

About the author
Dane W ard is c o o rd in a to ro f Instructional Services fo rth e  C entral M ichigan University Libraries, e-mail: dane.ward@cmich.edu

mailto:dane.ward@cmich.edu


C&RL News ■ October 2 0 0 1  / 923

structure, consisting of engaged and commit­
ted students, rem ain to be raised. Despite the 
inherent p o w er of information literacy, stu­
dents will not value it w ithout strong proof 
of its im portance to their lives. It is the same 
with other tools and concepts in disciplines 
across the institution— and it is a problem. 
You and I have seen too m any students dis­
connected from their ow n education, passive 
observers in the classroom.

I see a n e w  day w h e n  students will learn 
to use information skills to improve the world. 
It will be a day w hen information literacy in­
struction m eans teaching students about re­
search while helping them  to find value in 
the w orld and to participate in it.

As instructors, m ost of us appreciate the 
im portance of active learning; it permits stu­
dents to learn by doing. However, in itself, 
active learning remains an insufficient m eans 
to ensure the effective acquisition o f skills 
and know ledge. Students do  not learn only 
because they do something. They learn best 
w hen they find a reason to care. Teaching 
students to conduct research cannot be sepa­
rated from helping them  to discover their ow n 
reasons for being interested and concerned.

Consider a typical library session in which 
students learn to find articles on  euthanasia. 
As typically presented, the topic fails to e n ­
gage their interest, and they frequently p e r­
ceive the session as simply an academ ic ex­
ercise that has nothing to do with their ow n 
lives. The students may practice a skill in find­
ing inform ation on the topic but probably 
experience little meaningful learning because 
they simply do  not care.

Information literacy should begin and end 
w ith student concerns, even if it m eans teas­
ing them  out through tim e-consum ing dis­
cussions. Students learn research better within 
meaningful contexts. In discussions with in­
structors a b o u t class research  topics, w e 
should raise this issue, m aking every effort to 
focus on topics that m ean som ething to stu­
dents. O f course, w e cannot identify those 
issues w ithout talking and listening to them.

Taking time to understand students may 
ultimately prove one of the m ost valuable dis­
coveries a b o u t teaching. Students are not 
blank slates waiting to soak up w hat w e have 
to te a c h  a b o u t in fo rm a tio n  skills. T h ey  
struggle w ith amazing lives beyond the class­
room  that accom pany them  into every ses-

If w e  w a n t to  h a v e  la s t in g  im p a ct 
on th e  liv e s  o f o u r s tu d e n ts, w e  
m u s t te a c h  in fo rm a tio n  re search  
s k ills  in a w a y  t h a t e n g a g e s  th e m  
w ith  p ro b le m s  o f th e  real w o rld .

sion. Their personal concerns reflect the messy 
and chaotic issues of the real world, and w e 
miss an opportunity if w e fail to w ork with 
them.

Rather than assigning a generic topic such 
as euthanasia, w e should spend time at the 
beginning of every sem ester learning about 
o ur students. Why are they taking this library 
class? W hat do they w ant from their college 
education? W here are they com ing from? 
W here are they going? O n a m ore personal 
level, w e may learn that one student’s m other 
has cancer. A nother w orries about an alco­
holic father. Many students suffer from subtle 
forms of discrimination due to factors such 
as race, religion, gender, weight, personality 
type, and learning disabilities. Most are u n ­
aware of how  their social and academ ic e n ­
vironm ent can hinder their potential for suc­
cess. Student issues are real-world issues.

M o d e lin g  p a rtic ip a tio n  in th e  w o rld
The roof of our information literacy structure 
will be shingled with student participation in 
the issues of the world. Teaching research 
goes h an d  in hand with acting in the world. 
Can w e really say that students are informa­
tion literate if they succeed in finding infor­
m ation but fail to com m unicate their research 
or otherw ise do anything with it?

We frequently talk about having a lasting 
im pact on students’ lives. Authentic teaching 
is about sharing w hat w e know  of the w orld 
and providing m odels of responsible action 
w ithin it. Traditional classroom  learning of­
ten lacks m eaningful praxis; instructors talk 
objectively about an abstract world but fail to 
encourage stu d en ts to act in it or a d v o cate 
for it. A cadem ia has b e e n  careful n o t to 
sh o w  th a t it cares to o  m uch, a n d  te a c h e rs 
hav e b e e n  careful n o t to b rin g  to o  m uch 
o f th em selv es into th e  classroom .

In fo rm atio n  literacy req u ires a different 
a p p ro a c h  to p e d a g o g y . As w e  te a c h  stu-



924 / C&RL News ■ October 2001

D e sp ite  th e  in h e re n t p o w e r o f 
in fo rm a tio n  literacy, s tu d e n ts w ill 
n o t v a lu e  it w ith o u t s tro n g  p ro o f 
o f its im p o rta n c e  to  th e ir lives.

d en ts h o w  to c o n d u c t effective research, 
w e can  m odel o u r p a ssio n  for p a rtic ip a ­
tio n  in th e w orld. We d e v e lo p  com m unity- 
b a s e d  inform ation literacy initiatives. We 
talk w ith com m unity agencies a n d  discover 
th eir inform ation n e e d s, show ing stu d e n ts 
w h a t it m eans to tak e  inform ation literacy 
in to  th e w orld.

In a small w ay, I have u n d e rta k e n  this 
p ro ce ss in central Michigan. In re sp o n se  
to a letter o f inquiry, a n u m b e r of service 
and nonprofit organizations have expressed 
enthusiasm  for undertak in g  a collaborative 
project w ith me. As envisioned, the project 
will involve bringing actual research  q u e s ­
tions from  o n e of th ese  agencies into my 
u n d e rg ra d u a te  library a n d  inform ation lit­
eracy class. The County H ealth D epartm ent 
has b e e n  esp ecially  in terested.

N ext fall, my class will interview  the 
H ealth D e p a rtm en t d ire c to r a b o u t a s p e ­
cific p ro b le m  w ith w h ich  th e H ealth D e­
p a rtm en t n e e d s  help. We w ill c o n d u c t the 
research, synthesize th e inform ation, and 
provide the Health D epartm ent with reports 
a n d  original docu m en ts. As in d icated  in 
m y initial letter, this re p re se n ts a w in-w in 
situation. My stu d e n ts will lea rn  research  
skills by w o rk in g  o n  a com m u n ity -b ased  
inform ation n e e d . At th e sam e tim e, the 
agency will b e n e fit from  o u r research.

S tudents b e n e fit w h e n  w e m odel infor­
m ation literacy w ithin com m unity contexts. 
It d e m o n stra tes th e p o w e r o f inform ation 
research skills and teaches som ething about 
o u r re s p o n s ib ility  to e a c h  o th e r  in th e 
w orld.

T e a c h in g  to  c h a lle n g e  th e   
u n q u e s tio n e d
O u r n e w  inform ation literacy hom e will be 
a m agnificent structure, built w ith w alls of 
stu d e n t e n g a g em e n t a n d  a ro o f c o m p o se d  
o f stu d e n t p a rticip a tio n  in th e w orld. To 
c a p  it off, th e bu ild in g  will su stain  spires

fa c e d  w ith  s tu d e n ts  e m p o w e re d  to ask 
why.

I see a n e w  day w h e n  o u r stu d e n ts will 
challenge th e w orld, w h e n  th ey  will q u e s ­
tion taken-for-granted assum ptions and use 
their research skills to im prove it. Until our 
students q u estio n  the w ay the w orld w orks 
a n d  recognize th eir re la tio n sh ip  to it, they 
will fail to find a m eaningful reaso n  to p a r­
ticipate. T hey will d e n y  th eir resp o n sib il­
ity, as m any o f us do. In fact, w e are p art 
of a shrinking global system, n o t apart from 
it. We are p a rt o f th e p roblem s w e ch o o se  
to investigate a n d  act upon, as well as those 
w e do  not.

Information literacy is not optional. In this 
new  millennium, it will becom e the founda­
tional concept around w hich other com pe­
tencies coalesce. Managing and using infor­
m ation effectively is a basic survival skill for 
us as individuals and as citizens in a dem oc­
racy. T w o h u n d r e d  y ears ago, T hom as 
Jefferson argued that our nation and its ex­
perim ent in governm ent w ould succeed or 
fail based on its ability to sustain an edu­
cated citizenry. The information explosion and 
its consequences have added a dim ension to 
this perennial threat to a citizenry em pow ­
ered to shape its ow n destiny.

In an era w h e n  inform ation can b e  g e n ­
erated , used, a n d  m an ip u la te d  w ith ease, 
dem ocracy req u ires citizens w h o  can criti­
cally e v alu ate b o th  th eir inform ation a n d  
their so u rces o f inform ation. Every piece 
o f n ew s co ntains a spin; objectivity is a 
myth. The cu rren t co n c ern  a b o u t th e “digi­
tal d iv id e ” re p re se n ts th e tip o f an infor­
m ation iceberg. At the sam e tim e, w e are 
w itnesses to a grow ing “m anip u latio n  g a p ” 
w h ereb y  th o se w ith critical skills sh a p e  the 
inform ation a n d  n ew s th e rest of us re ­
ceive, thus im pacting o u r ability to m ake 
inform ed decisions. B eyond p ro viding ac­
cess to inform ation, o u r so ciety faces a 
c h a lle n g e  th a t c a n  o n ly  b e  r e m e d ie d  
th ro u g h  an e n h a n c e d  inform ation literacy 
instru ctio n  fo cu sed  o n  critical thinking.

In fo rm atio n  literacy has ev erything to 
d o  w ith q u e stio n in g  th e w ay things w o rk  
a n d  m aking them  better. Students are not 
inform ation literate if th ey  sim ply accept 
at face value th e n ew s th ey  receive in the 
m edia or find o n  th e Web. As instructors, 
w e can h e lp  th em  ask im p o rta n t q uestions



C&RL News ■ October 2001 /  925

a b o u t w h o  b e n e fits from  p a rticu la r in te r­
p reta tio n s o f th e  new s. O ut o f th e se  dis­
cussions can em erge im p o rta n t rese a rc h  
q u e s tio n s  th a t m ay conflict w ith student 
views and values and may create teachable 
moments.

O ur current conception of information lit­
eracy instruction focuses on teaching the 
objective and “safe” aspects of research. For 
instance, w e typically help students focus their 
research on  euthanasia; find books and full- 
text articles on the topic; distinguish betw een 
popular and scholarly sources; and evaluate 
W eb-based information. However, w e rarely 
have an opportunity to generate meaningful 
connections betw een this topic and the lives 
of students or help students question the na­
ture of discourse that takes place.

In the future, information literacy programs 
will em phasize the whys as well as the hows. 
By focusing o n  the w hole person, successful 
program s will begin with real student con­
cerns and help students understand how  their 
issues relate to the larger world. Second, they

( “Internet Resources” c o n t.fr o m p a g e 912) 
and is an online “cousin” to the original Na­
tional Atlas of the United States produced in 
the 1970s. Choose “Atlas Maps” to use the 
National Atlas of the United States produced 
in the 1970s. Choose “Atlas Maps” to use the 
National Atlas Map Browser to build, view, 
and print m aps using a variety of information 
layers. There are a num ber of multimedia 
m aps available at this site that combine graphi­
cal representations of data with anim ation as 
well as links for finding additional informa­
tion. While there are a limited num ber of 
m apping options, users can dow nload Na­
tional Atlas m ap layers for personal use or 
find inform ation o n  p a p e r m aps. Access: 
http://w w w .nationalatlas.gov/.

• W etla n d s I n te r a c tiv e  M a p p er T ool. 
This site from the National Wetlands Inven­
tory Center of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­
vice provides access to National Wetlands In­
ventory Maps in digital format. Select a county, 
city, zip code, refuge, or lat/long and submit 
your query. W here available, link to aerial 
photography from Microsoft’s TerraServer or 
view  a topographic m ap of the area. While 
these will not replace the detailed paper maps, 
the site is a nice place to start for wetlands 
information. Not all locations are available,

will em phasize participation in the com m u­
nity as a way to further facilitate meaningful 
connections. Third, they will encourage stu­
dents to discover and challenge the u nques­
tioned, taken-for-granted assum ptions by 
w hich w e all live. By necessity, these p ro ­
grams will focus on the advocacy of real-world 
issues as well as on methodology.

We are called to participate in shaping an 
information future that improves the world. 
We can play a crucial role in the future— if 
w e choose to play. Certainly, others w ould 
d on our apparel in this new  age and disguise 
information literacy in a cloak of academic 
rem oteness and objectivity.

H o w ev er, th a t is p a st. T he tim e has 
com e to tak e  risks in d e v e lo p in g  an infor­
m ation literacy that m atters to  stu d e n ts b e ­
cau se it rea c h e s o u t to th e w o rld  to solve 
real p roblem s, b e c a u se  it c h allen g es o u r 
assum ptions, b ecau se it changes the w orld. 
Tim e is p assin g  faster th a n  w e know . Let 
us n o t miss o u r o p p o rtu n ity . The w o rld  
calls us. ■

so check out the Current NWI Status Map 
from the main page to find out if digital maps 
are available in your area. Access: h ttp :// 
w etlands. fw s. gov/m apper_tool. htm.

O th e r site s f o r  lo c a tin g  m aps
• O d d e n s ’ B o o k m a r k s. This is a classic 

in the w orld of geography not only for pro­
viding links to m ap resources, but links to 
the entire w orld of cartography and geogra­
phy. Select Browse, th en  Maps and Atlases 
and choose the type you w ant to find. There 
are 5,914 Electronic Atlases and 149 in the 
Online Map Creating category. Long lists but 
som e real gems can be found here. Access: 
h ttp://oddens.geog.uu.nl.

• M ap s o n  O th e r  W eb S ites. This is a 
nice listing of m aps by categories available 
on the Web. Access: http://w w w .lib.utexas. 
edu/m aps/m ap_sites/m ap_sites. html.

•  State D a ta  C e n te rs. This site provides 
information for state data centers in all 50 
states, but often provides canned m aps that 
focus on socio-econom ic data or natural re­
sources. Note that not all states provide Web 
sites, data, or maps. It is a good starting point 
w hen searching for m aps/data of census in­
fo rm a tio n  for a p a rtic u la r state. Access: 
http ://w w w . census .gov/sdc/w w w /. ■

http://www.nationalatlas.gov/
http://oddens.geog.uu.nl
http://www.lib.utexas


926 / C&RL News ■ O ctober 2001